TORONTO, 16 April 2005 — Allen Iverson had 38 points and dished out 16 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 126-119 overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday to remain in the thick of the playoff race.
Playing 53 minutes in front of an excited home crowd, Iverson’s energy carried the 76ers to their fifth win in six games and into a tie with the Cleveland Cavaliers for seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Iverson’s determined play overshadowed a career-high 48 point, 10 rebound performance from Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal’s return to the lineup after missing three games with a stomach virus.
Unable to eat for several days, O’Neal appeared sluggish, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 35 minutes of work as the Eastern Conference champions blew a nine-point halftime lead to lose for the third straight time.
Marc Jackson contributed a season-high 26 points to the Sixers cause while Kyle Korver chipped in 20 and rookie Andre Iguodala had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The 76ers also made the Heat pay from the free throw line where they were nearly perfect making 33-of-34 attempts, Iverson going 13-for-13 and Jackson 12-for-12.
In Cleveland, Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Maurice Taylor added 16 as the New York Knicks dented the struggling Cavaliers playoff hopes with a 95-89 win.
Long out of postseason contention, the Knicks dealt the Cavaliers an unexpected blow on their home court and the loss dropped then into a tie with the 76ers, two games clear of the New Jersey Nets with four to play.
In Portland, the Dallas Mavericks got double-figure efforts from six players, led by 18 points from Jerry Stackhouse, to cruise past the Trail Blazers 102-90.
Shawn Bradley had 15 points while Josh Howard, Michael Finley and Jason Terry each had 14 points for the Mavericks, who have secured their playoff spot having locked up fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
